The 'Mais Médicos' program, initiated in Brazil in 2013, significantly transformed public health by deploying medical professionals to underserved areas, which played a decisive role in reducing mortality rates and ensuring healthcare accessibility. This initiative also reoriented medical training, aligning it with the needs of the Unified Health System (SUS), and notably for the first time increased the number of medical school spots in rural areas beyond those in urban capitals, following a trend seen in international health strategies aimed at addressing regional inequalities.

However, the positive impact of the program has faced setbacks due to policy changes by previous administrations. Critical components of the 'Mais Médicos' initiative, such as national assessments of medical students' progress, which were supposed to be implemented for the last decade, have been neglected. This lack of evaluation raises concerns about the quality of training that future medical professionals are receiving, threatening the sustainability of the progress made since the program's inception.

Moreover, the discontinuation of regulations for opening new medical schools, which included a moratorium initiated in 2018, has created an additional barrier to expanding medical education. This policy has stifled the development of new training programs, aggravating the existing disparities in healthcare education and access in Brazil. As a result, stakeholders are calling for renewed focus on these educational standards to ensure that the objectives of the 'Mais Médicos' program are upheld and that healthcare remains equitable across the nation.